The legendary sword of Charlemagne

From the depths of the centuries to our days, legends and poems have come about various great exploits and heroic accomplishments. Often, it is not possible to separate the truth from fiction, because after millennia, many facts, repeatedly retold, acquire a completely new sound. In Europe, very respectful attitude to the legendary personality of Charlemagne, who is considered the ancestor of the whole European medieval civilization. Of particular interest is the sword of Charlemagne, disputes about the origin of which are still being conducted in the scientific world.

The son of Pepin Short is the legendary King of the Franks

Historians find it difficult to say when exactly Karl was born, but they assume that the date of his birth can be the middle of the eighth century. In this historical period the ruling Merovingian dynasty ended its existence and Karl together with his brother became the ancestor of the new royal dynasty - the Carolingians.

It is worth noting that Charlemagne managed to create a huge empire, united under his strong and fair hand. To achieve this goal, he spent almost his entire life in military campaigns, and Charles was an amazingly talented military commander-he could conduct several military campaigns at the same time in different directions. Most of his campaigns ended in victories.

By the year 802, Carl was able to create a strong empire and called himself only "the ruler of the Roman Empire, the King of the Franks and the Lombards." After the death of the legendary ruler, three European states existed from the Empire: France, Italy and Germany.

The role of weapons in the military campaigns of Charlemagne

At a time when every free man was a warrior, it is difficult even to imagine how one could do without weapons. Therefore, the swords were a special pride of the soldiers, they dedicated poems and gave names. The most inviolable vows were sealed with the kiss of the sword. To violate the word given on the battle sword was considered the greatest sacrilege, for which it is necessary to pay off both in this world and in another.

Unfortunately, to this day there are few descriptions of weapons of the time of Charles the Great. The historians collected these data by bit from the surviving handwritten texts and mosaic paintings found in France. In the era of the legendary King of the Franks, long swords were spread that had a double sharply sharpened blade. It was made of light and strong alloy, the handle of the sword was a cross with a small round head on the end. The hilt was decorated with silver wire and precious stones, often a stamp of the master was put on it. On silver and gold elements a sample of metal was printed.

In the 8-10 centuries, swords were not yet a pathos attribute, entirely strewn with precious stones and decorated with patterns. First of all, they had to serve their master with faith and truth, bringing him victory in battle. This is how the sword of Charlemagne appears before the descendants.

"Song of Roland"

For the first time the legendary sword of Charlemagne was mentioned in the "Song of Roland". This medieval epic tells of the campaign of Charlemagne to Spain. Of course, in the statement of the author, many events appear a little differently than they really are, but the general chronology is preserved unchanged. According to historical sources, returning from the campaign, a detachment of Charlemagne was ambushed by the Moors. On the defense of his king rushed Count Roland, who died in battle. Karl himself simply miraculously survived and very grieved about the loss of such a devoted companion. According to legend, the sword forged from a treacherous enemy was helped by the king, forged from a special metal and always bringing only victory. The second such sword was at Roland, but, unfortunately, he could not save his master.

The sword of Charlemagne Juarez (or Joyful)

Up to now, there has been little information about the sword of Charlemagne. Genuine it is known that he bore the proud name of Juarez, in translation this name sounds like "joyful" or "rainbow".

It is not known from which metal the sword was forged, but as contemporaries of Charlemagne wrote, only two swords were awarded such metal - Juarez and Durandal, which belonged to Roland.

The sword of Charlemagne Jouyes was always with the king. Even in times of respite from military campaigns, he always lay at the royal head. Karl considered the sword to be his amulet, capable of making him invulnerable. Of course, we can question the magic properties of the sword, but during his campaigns Charlemagne was not seriously injured and always came out victorious from the battles.

History of the origin of the royal sword

Historians do not undertake to state exactly where the amazing sword came from the king. But after much scientific research, the well-known blacksmith Galas was recognized as the creator of the weapon. According to legend, he knew how to make the lightest and most durable swords in the whole kingdom. Therefore, it is not surprising that once the home of a skilled smith appeared himself Charles the Great. At this time, he already glorified himself with several campaigns and conquests, but could not find a weapon worthy of his own power. Galas promised to forge the King of the Franks the best sword possible.

It took him three years to build weapons. The smith decorated the hilt with the image of dragons, but in the following years they were replaced with heraldic lilies. It is believed that Juarez was so strong that he could easily cut a huge boulder and not even blunt. The power of the sword was in one mysterious artifact, which became part of an extraordinary weapon.

Longin's spear is truth or fiction?

Perhaps, this legend is the most difficult to verify in our time. It is believed that the strength of the sword was that his blade was forged from a piece of Longin's spear. The same warrior who pierced the crucified Jesus Christ ...

This spear was attributed to a truly magical properties, but it is impossible to prove or deny the involvement of this spear to the sword of Jouyes. Historians have information that almost two hundred years after the death of Charlemagne, during the Crusades, there were rumors about the found piece of Longin's spear. But whether or not the discovered object was a Christian artifact is also still unknown.

What happened to the legendary sword after the death of Charlemagne?

The King of the Franks died in 814 at a very old age. According to historians, Karl the Great at that time was already more than seventy years. It is known that until his death the sword was under the king. Where is the sword of Charlemagne Jouyes now, or Joyful?

For a long time historians have been trying to find his trail, and to date, several versions of the future fate of the extraordinary sword have been put forward. According to one of the most unpopular versions, Juarez was buried with his master. None of the friends could separate the king and his weapons. Therefore, we can say that the legendary sword is lost for posterity.

But this version is by far not the only one in the history of the sword. Other historians claim that it was transferred to the Saint-Denis abbey as the greatest relic. Later the weapon was transferred to the Louvre, where it is kept as a museum exhibit until now.

The Louvre: the home of the legendary sword

If you ever visit the exposition in the Louvre, you will definitely see a sword, which is considered to be the true weapon of Charlemagne. But historians are very doubtful about this fact.

The sword of Charlemagne in the Louvre has repeatedly been subjected to various studies, including radiocarbon analysis. Scientists simply shocked the result of these studies: parts of the sword belong to completely different epochs! For example, the blade itself dates from the 8th to the 9th century, which is consistent with the version about the legendary Jovez sword. But the handle with ornaments could not have been created before the twelfth century, this is indicated by the ornaments on which there is a special sample. In addition, some elements of the decoration of the sword were made around the 10th century. Despite all this confusion, the French believe that the Louvre is the sword of Juarez.

What ceremonies did the sword of Charlemagne serve?

Before Joyful became a museum exhibit in the Louvre, it was actively used by the French in various ceremonies. In the main, the sword of Charlemagne Joueais long served France at the coronation ceremonies. It is believed that the first time they were crowned Philip II, who was a surprisingly talented military commander. According to other sources, the sword Joyful was used much later - under Philip III. Since that period, weapons have become an invariable attribute at every coronation ceremony in France. In 1825, he was crowned the last king of the Bourbon dynasty - Carl X. After that, the sword was transferred to the category of museum exhibits.

The history is full of mysteries and secrets, after all practically all great people still become legendary people during their lifetime. Over time, these legends are overgrown with a mass of incredible additions. But the descendants have the right to decide independently how true these heroic stories of the past are.